Black Vinyl
by Susimi
Summary: An upbeat downtown punk named Dareth gets in good with a widely popular quartet, The Royal Blacksmiths. Befriending the lead singer, Lou, the two find that seeing eye-to-eye is harder than it looks. (set in the past)
1. Chapter 1 - Business!

There theatre was packed full of people far and wide from all across Ninjago. There was a roar of applause as the quartet took the stage, doing their usual routine. The brown-haired teen swayed to the tune, along with the rest of the crowd. He had seen this routine dozens of times on TV, but going to the concert physically was a whole new experience. So badly Dareth wanted to be a Royal Blacksmith; the tours, the limelight, the crowds, he wanted to experience it all. 'I'm gonna do it.' He thought to himself, a determined smirk forming on his face.

After the performance and applause, the group filed off stage to the back. "Good show tonight, guys." Lou smiled, patting one of his quartet members' backs. Under the surface, he had a deep concern. Everyone in the group knew the paperwork behind the performance wasn't filed properly, nor was the fee for using the stage pre-paid either. Undoing his tie, Lou sighed and walked over to the various cases of unorganized papers that were dragged along to every concert. He wasn't sure where to start with them- he had been doing this gig for a year now, and he didn't ever think of what goes into it. His father had never told him, and when he passed the team name down, he passed the responsibility down to him as well. Feeling stressed and overwhelmed at the sight of it all, he glanced back at the others, who were talking amongst themselves, and sighed. 'There has to be a way to do this..' Lou shook his head, heading over to the rest of his group.

"WAAAAAAIIIIT!" That snapped him out of thought. Before Lou could turn around, he was grabbed by the shoulders. Blue eyes stared back at him, the teen's face had a very dramatic worried look. "Please Please PLEASE let me be a Royal Backsmith!" Dareth shook him vigorously. He didn't plan to be so impulsive, but he couldn't help himself. Lou looked around awkwardly.  
"N-no, you can't be a royal blacksmith, I already have a quartet-"  
"AAAAH!- At least teach me how to dance and sing! I'll do anything! Please! I swear!" He proceeded to ramble on, listing off various things he could do for them.  
"Anything? Even deal with that?" Lou cut him off and pointed toward the various cases, in which Dareth's gaze followed.  
"Oh that?" He walked over, opening up a case to see the endless disorganized papers and contracts. "You want me to organize all of this?" Dareth sat down on his knees and started filing through papers, tossing them about and into piles. Lou took a seat next to him, watching him sift and throw paper about.

"Some of these were my father's-"  
"Yeah, I know. Signatures and yellowing tell it all." Picking up one of the piles, he slowly began looking over the papers, taking out a notebook from the case and clicking a pen, scribbling down various dates. "My name is Dareth by the way. Your name is ahh–"  
"Lou. Lou Brookstone. Ollie, Jeremy and Roger are the others."  
"I was about to say that." Dareth threw his head back and gave the others a smirk before going back to the papers. "This shouldn't take too long, hopefully."  
Lou watched him and listened. As time went on, Dareth had successfully organized the cluster of papers, writing down dates and logs in a notebook, and everything became very orderly. Bills were put into two folders, one labeled 'paid' and the other labeled 'pending'. As well as that, receipts and requests were also paired, dated, and tied off. The three cases of papers had been whittled down to one with room to spare. Fitting the notebook in last, Dareth gently closed the case, picking it up and handing it to Lou. He looked back in disbelief, rubbing his eyes tiredly.  
"There you go, Brookstone!- Oh narts," Dareth glanced at the clock, "I gotta get home."  
"Wait, Dareth." Lou grabbed his arm before he could run off. "How would you like to be the official Royal Blacksmith Manager?" Dareth rose his eyebrows in disbelief.  
"Y-You..Are you for real?! Aw man that would be an honor!" He sprang to his feet, laughing and bounding around.

"Easy there, next concert is in a few weeks, so you don't need to get so hyped up now." Lou got up, but his words were ignored. Dareth just about ran out the door, jumping up and clicking his heels.  
"I Can't believe it! I'm working with the Royal Blacksmiths!"

–

Lou took his time, strolling down the street from the cinema. Staying after with Dareth had cost the rest of his quartet's patience, and they left an hour or so ago. He didn't expect anyone to wait for him anyway, Dareth too seemed keen on going home as soon as possible. He looked down at his black shoes that clicked with every step, watching them shine from the street-lamps. There was a roar of an engine that echoed in the night, getting louder as it approached. Lou looked over his shoulder at the motorist that putted beside him.  
"Need a ride?" A familiar lazy voice chirped from the helmet. Lou stopped and shrugged, climbing on. Dareth handed him a helmet.  
"I thought you were in a hurry to get home?" Lou asked, fitting the helmet on.  
"I was, but aren't you too?" He sped up to the normal speed, engine rumbling as the wheels spun down the road. Chuckling, he added, "Hey, where do you live?"  
"Just down Yang Avenue, 1413."  
"1413? You mean that really fancy house? I know where that is, I pass by that every day to school." They took a right turn down an older road. Slowing to a stop, Dareth gazed upon the building, letting Lou off. Handing him the helmet, Lou began to head inside. "Guess I'll see you around, Brookstone!"  
"Mhm." He waved back, Dareth driving off, and pulled out a set of keys from his pocket. Unlocking the door, he went inside and close it behind, taking off his shoes.

After a few turns down a different street, he found himself approaching his own house. Dismounting and killing the engine a block away, Dareth walked and parked his father's motorcycle in its usual spot in the back of the garage, facing the front end towards the garage door. Kicking the stand down, he gently placed the two helmets side-by-side on the bike's saddlebags before heading to the back side of the house. Jumping up, Dareth pulled himself through the open window to his room, gently closing it behind him. It was hitting midnight now, so he wasn't too worried about his mom being awake and hearing the commotion.  
His room was very organized. Books and magazines all aligned in alphabetical order, bunk bed had both beds made, school paper and books neatly stacked on his desk next to his backpack, and not to forget the clean fish tank placed next to his closet door. Dareth proceeded to slip off his jacket, pulling off his shirt and tossing them both in the corner. Flopping on the lower bed, he sighed, chuckling and rubbing his face.  
"I can't believe it…" He looked over at his fish, which gently swam through the water. "Oh- sorry little fellas, almost forgot-" getting up, Dareth took the small cylinder of name-brand fish-flakes and gently sprinkled some into the tank. Setting the container down, he flopped back down on his bed, watching the fish nibble and pounce at the food. 'Hum, I could go for some of that too,' he thought to himself while scratching his chest, 'I'll just have a bigger breakfast in the morning.'


	2. Chapter 2 - Papers!

A beam of light shined through the seam of the window between the blinds, landing directly in his eyes. Lou squinted, cupping the side of his face. It was Sunday, and still his father had not come back home. Not like it was anything new, Lou knew his father was never one to stay in one spot; he was always too busy with work to slow down.

Getting up, Lou made his way to the kitchen. Pulling out a box of cereal, he poured himself a bowl, sitting himself at the table. The sound of his crunching echoed throughout the house. It was an older house, not too much was inside. There was an old tea-kettle on the stove, furniture with cloth draped over it, a trophy case with different awards that his father had collected, an old piano, and a grandfather clock that gently ticked. Closed blinds, the house was very gloomy and dark on the inside. Lou didn't mind, it wasn't like he lived there, he only visited on weekends spending the weekdays at his mother's house with his mom.

After rinsing his bowl and completing a morning routine of teeth brushing and freshening up, he took a long look at himself on the mirror. Running a hand down the side of his face, he started to think about last night. 'What happened? Well, there was a show, a lot of people, the paperwork was filed-' he realized that he had no way of contacting the person who helped with that. Darren? Derrik? He couldn't remember the name, he was too tired last night to remember. Didn't he assign them as manager? Lou shook his head, swiftly tying his shoes and pulling open the front door. Stepping out, there was a gentle crinkle of a letter beneath his heel. Picking it up and breaking the wax seal, he read:

'How are you? I realized at the crack of dawn that the papers were forgotten at the stage. No problem though, I went and picked up the case this morning. Want to hang out or something this morning? (preferably between noon and four)  
-Dareth'

Lou scrunched his eyebrows, looking at the return address on the back before taking a glance at the grandfather clock. 12:34. Did he really sleep in that late? Sighing to himself, Lou folded the letter and stuck it into his pocket, closing the door behind him and taking off down the street.

–

'That's all folks! Goodbye, and good riddance!' a man on the TV coaxed, followed by a laugh-track. Dareth chuckled to himself in response, looking back down at a textbook. Normally he would be doing his homework on Saturday, but sneaking out to the concert had cost him the time. Writing something down on the worksheet, a gentle knock came from the door. He didn't hear it. Then a more harder knock. Dareth picked up his head, looking at the TV before looking at the door. Getting up, he went over and opened the front door. "You know Mr. Postman, you can always slip the- Oh! Lou! Come on in, I was just getting schoolwork finished up before ma came back home." Letting him in, Lou glanced around. Everything seemed so neat and orderly- not to mention, clean and kept up. The windows were open, letting in light as well as a gentle breeze. He felt cozy.  
"Nice place you have." Lou smiled, inspecting the various rooms. Front door was right across from the kitchen, separated by the living room inbetween. Bathroom and bedrooms branched off from a hallway that started from there. Dareth took a seat back at his spot on the couch.  
"Thanks. Feel free to raid the fridge, just don't make a mess. I'm not supposed to have people over when she's not around, but I'm sure she won't find out. We'll get to the papers after I get this done." He scratched the side of his head with the end of the pencil, before writing more down. Lou walked over and took a seat on a chair, looking towards the TV. After a bit of show-filled silence, He looked over at Dareth, who seemed to be finishing up.  
"So uh.. What show is this?"  
"Oh- uh," He closed the book, glancing at the screen, "Can't remember the name, but its about this woman and her dog that knows ninja moves. There's always these guys who try to hit on her for her money, but the dog always scares them off at the end. The pooch is so popular, I wouldn't be surprised of he got a show of his own." After watching a little longer, he got up and flipped it off. "That's enough of that. Now, if you'll come with me, I'll show you what I need help with."

Entering Dareth's room, Lou took a seat on the lower bed, inspecting the posts, and then the room. The fish playfully chased each other in the tank. Dareth plopped down in the wooden chair at his desk, opening up the case and pulling out various papers. "I started marking all the dates for stuff on a calendar and you said that you had a gig in two weeks, yeah?"  
Lou nodded, "Yeah, the 14th. Why?"  
"Well, it says here that you have two gigs that day, one on the way eastside of Ninjago City, and one on the outskirts next to Nom. Its a 3 hour drive from here to the place, but its a 3 day drive to Nom- not factoring in the issue that there's no gas station going that way, as well as not having the fee paid for that transportation. What do you want to do?"  
"Isn't that an obvious answer? Cancel the one on Nom, write them a letter saying that it's not happening." Lou folded his arms, finding the dilemma a waste of time.  
"Mmmh, How do I write back a broken promise to a 12 year old girl?" Dareth pulled out a piece of paper, and scratched the side of his head. "Are you sure, Lou? I mean, you do stuff here all the time in Ninjago City, and it would warm a kid's heart to see their favorite group perform at their village-"  
"I've made my choice, Darren, It's too much of a hassle and too much time to get there and back." **  
**"Its Dareth." He slumped in his seat, sighing with frustration. Running a hand through his hair, he began to vigorously write. " 'The members of the Royal Blacksmiths sincerely apologize, as we turn down your request to perform at Nom on the Fourteenth due to conflicting Scheduling. Thank you.' There, does that sound good enough, 'Loud'?" He sneered, glaring at Lou while folding the paper neatly and slipping it into an envelope. Lou scrunched his eyebrows.  
"Was that really necessary?" **  
**Dareth looked taken aback. "Oh, my bad, I thought you said my name wrong on purpose." Scratching the back of his head, he realized how awkward he made it. "A lot of other kids say my name wrong to mess with me." Shaking his head, he tosses the envelope down on the desk. "Anyway, it looks like you have a few requests for next month. We don't have to get to that today if you want, I'll remind you when we get close to the end of this month." Lou leaned back on the bed. It was very comfortable- not terrible broken in, but it as getting there. He ran his eyes along the wooden beams above thinking to himself.  
"So uhh, Who's your brother?"  
"Brother?- oh." Dareth looked over his shoulder. "Heh, ever heard the phrase 'don't count all of your chickens before they hatch'?" Another break of silence.  
"….Were they expecting another-"  
"Can we not-" The sound of an engine hummed into the garage. Dareth went pale. "Shoot!- Lou you gotta leave-" He began to vigorously shuffle up the papers, stuffing them into the case before closing and shoving it under the bed. The front door slammed open. "aaAAH- Hide!" Dareth grabbed Lou and shoved him into the closet before slamming the door closed.

"Dareth, Deary! Dareth?" His mom poked her head into the room. Dareth stood leaning on the closet door, trying to play it cool. "Oh, there you are! Come help me with groceries."  
"Okay, ma! Let me get my shoes on." She wandered back out, while Dareth leaned close to the door. "Use my window to leave. It's not too far a jump, the grass is soft." He whispered into the door before heading out. He was wearing his shoes the whole time.

Lou slowly opened the door, overhearing the boisterous conversation between a mother and his son. 'Traffic was easy' 'That's nice, any good sales today?' 'Well, the man at the counter let me have an extra yam-' Lou slid opened the window glancing down. Putting his legs through, he dropped down onto the grass. Looking around, he realized that the yard was fenced all the way around except for the small gap between the house and the garage. 'Too risky,' he thought to himself, considering the other option. Getting a running start, he jumped, grabbing onto the top of the fence and swinging his legs over, landing on the other side with a thud. Scrambling to his feet, Lou made a break for it, crossing through the other yard to the sidewalk on the other side before slowing down to a fast walk. **  
**Part of him wondered why he did that. Rubbing the bruise that was forming on his nose and forehead from the door, questions swirled in his head. 'His mother sounded nice, I don't see why she wouldn't want anyone over.', 'Did he do something?', and 'trespassing is wrong.' were a few of them. Lou made his way towards his father's house.


	3. Chapter 3 - One Week!

**SIDE A - LOU**

The week dragged on. Dareth had spent it at home and at school, while Lou spent it at his mother's house, dancing and singing with his quartet. Despite the divide that it caused between her and her ex, she loved seeing her son full of joy and pride doing the thing he loves.

"I'm so glad you found someone willing to help you manage the reservations, Lou," His mother pinched his cheek, pulling him in for a hug,"I was afraid you would start growing grey hairs from all the stress!" She chuckled, joking. Lou couldn't help but smile, hugging her back.  
"Yeah, and then I would really be taking my dad's place!" They both laughed.  
"Let me guess, you were all by yourself at your father's house?" Letting Lou go, she went back to stirring the soup in the pot. Glancing back, she caught Lou nodding. "I figured as such, that man is as rambunctious as a wild horse." His mother never seemed bothered talking about Lou's father, In fact, there were very few things that visibly bothered her. She was strongly independent, but there were times she missed him dearly. She didn't hate him, but she was sick of constantly waiting for him to come back to help support the family. "Your sister should be coming over today,, and when your brother comes home from school in an hour everyone will be together as a family again for dinner."  
Almost. Lou, unlike his mother, was sad that his parents weren't together. He was 6 when the split happened, and vividly remembered the conversation that broke into an argument. His older sister seemed the most affected by it, making a fuss and screaming when it happened. His brother had yet to be born.  
Going over to the piano and taking a seat, he began to play a gentle tune to fill the ambiance. His mother hummed along to the tune; her voice was heavenly, one that could lull a child to sleep. Lou joined in, and the two sang.

The table was set neatly, each of the 4 chairs had a plate, napkin, glass of water, and proper utensils all set in the proper order. After everyone had settled down and gotten their plates full, conversation ensued. It was light-hearted for the most part, younger brother talking about school and older sister talking about work. Mother chiming in to keep conversation going. Lou tried his best not to but heads with his sister, in turn not saying much at all.  
"So, about your manager Lou, who is he like?" His mother finally directed the attention to him. "My manager? He's," He leaned back in his chair, thinking, "Not someone you'd expect- definitely not someone I suspected to be well at organizing." Lou took a bite of his dinner, "His name is Dareth."  
"Dareth? Dark brown hair, blue eyes, usually wears leather?" Lou looked at his brother, surprised. His brother continued, "I know him. He always makes a dramatic entrance whenever he's late to class." Lou's younger brother was a freshmen, grade 9, while Lou was already graduated. He poked around at his plate. "Rumor has it he sleeps in the back of the stage all afternoon…"  
"I didn't know you two were friends." Lou looked surprised, in which his brother shook his head.  
"No, I try to avoid him, as does a lot of other students. He's weird." The peppy atmosphere at the table died as it fell silent. Lou knit his eyebrows down being upset at his little brother, but part of him agreed, which made him more upset at himself. The rest of dinner pursued in silence.

The rest of the week went as planned. Lou had asked his brother to talk to Dareth at school, while he went to go practice with his quartet. His dad even came over to visit his mom, which became more of a forced apology for not being home when Lou was around on weekends. Lou even wrote a letter to Dareth about plans and seeing if they could meet up sometime during the week, but had never gotten a letter back. It got even more strange when his brother told him that Dareth seemed off, and wasn't so peppy as he usually was the day after the letter was sent.  
Questions swirled in his head, but Lou knew the weekend would reveal answers.

 **SIDE B - DARETH**

The week dragged on. Lou had spent it practicing with his quartet at his moms house, while Dareth had spent it at school and at home, not like he had much of a choice, he didn't want to make his mother upset.

"Your father is coming home tomorrow," His mother watched him clean dishes, lazily leaning back on the chair, "Said that he got a promotion at work and thought it'd be nice to come home to celebrate."  
"Mh." Dareth nodded. 'Do you mean lecture me on how to be a real estate agent?' he wanted to say. His mother sighed, folding her arms.  
"What? Are you not happy? Isn't there anything that makes you happy?" She was annoyed, but her tone hadn't reached yelling levels yet. Dareth tucked his head into his shoulders, expecting so. "Deary, your father works long hours to be able to support us, and one day you're going to marry and do the same. At least pay attention to him this time when he talks to you."  
Marry and do the same. He didn't like that. His parents expected him to follow the same footsteps as his father, but he didn't want to waste the whole rest of his life sitting in an office. He wanted to dance- to sing, to play guitar even. It didn't help that his mother saw those things as rebellious behavior, and hated the idea with every fiber of her being. Her mind was set; 'if your passion doesn't make the most money, don't do it'. Dareth wanted to argue against that, 'what's the point of having a family if you can't enjoy even being there for them?', arguing the same for work, but he knew better. He didn't want to get his stuff taken away again- especially not his fish.  
Dareth wouldn't dare talk about his ties with the royal blacksmiths. The last time he mentioned them was when he watched them perform on TV a year ago. His mother had gone on a tangent on how 'they're throwing their life away' and how 'There's no money given to them for performing', lecturing how she'd be beyond disappointed if her 'perfect son' turned out that way. It terrified him. He didn't want to upset his mom.  
He didn't get much sleep. The guilt and excitement for doing something he liked, walking on a thin line with his mom, and now his dad was coming home. His dad scared him a lot, he's stern, serious, and has a quick temper. Most times his father didn't acknowledge his existence unless his mother was present(which wasn't a bad thing, Dareth didn't want anything to do with him).

Walking down the hall of the school, he did finger-guns to a group of girls that passed by, scoffing and rolling their eyes. Dareth loved doing that, the reactions he gets gives him reason to laugh to himself. 'Today was going to be another perfect school day' he almost said aloud, sliding into class early and propping his feet on the desk, relaxing.  
"Uh, Dareth?" Woah, a student said his name right? Dareth played it cool and opened one eye, staring at the kid in the doorway.  
"Mhm?" He pretended to not care, slouching his shoulders and tilting his head.  
"My older brother said that you are helping him?" The boy stepped into the classroom, sitting down next to him. Dareth took his feet off the desk and leaned in, smiling.  
"Thought you looked familiar. 'Little Lou', huh? You a dancer too?"  
The kid chuckled, "no, I leave performing to my brother…. I don't know what I want to do yet." he sighed. Dareth gave him a light slap on the shoulder.  
"Hey, that's alright. Life isn't something set in stone, you'll know what you want to do when it comes around. And if you don't like it, you can go do something else." Dareth laughed, "besides, you're still a 'freshie', you have plenty of time!"

He didn't expect to warm up to Dareth so quickly, but with a personality so radiant, it's hard not to. The day went smoothly, both of them sat together at lunch, and even walked part-way home together. After waving goodbye, Dareth jumped up to the front door and entered in his house, smiling. "Hey Ma! I'm home! Today was great, I made a new frie–"  
None of the windows were open, the blinds closed, lights were off, except for in the kitchen, where both of his parents stood. They were waiting for him. Dareth set his books down and walked over, noticing the open letter on the table. It was from Lou. A knot formed in his gut.  
"Son, sit down." Dareth obeyed his father's instruction immediately. "What the hell is this?" His father picked up the letter, wavering it in his face. His mother looked furious. Dareth looked down and away. "Answer me." His father slammed his hand on the table.  
"He's just a friend-" Dareth tried.  
"DON'T LIE TO ME LIKE I DON'T KNOW. You're working with those Damned blacksmiths and you thought you could get away without us knowing?!" His father boomed. Dareth slumped down in the chair, holding back tears. "How dare you. Your mother and I, we do EVERYTHING for you to be successful in life and THIS is what you spit back out to us?"  
"I-I'm sorry Pa-"  
"Bullshit." He slammed the letter onto the table. There was a moment of tense silence, as Dareth looked down at the grain on the wooden table. His fear had come true, and he was scared.. But it didn't last. 'This wasn't right' he thought to himself, 'shouldn't parents support their kids decisions?', it fueled a building anger. His father continued, "And to think you were the one to live instead of your twin brother. He wouldn't be chasing damned dreams like some sort of fairy tale."  
"How dare you." Dareth squinted, his father looked taken aback. "How would you know what he would and wouldn't do, he didn't even get a chance to live. HOW DARE YOU!" Dareth shot up, tipping the chair over. His mother sunk down, fear flashing in her eyes. "What about me, huh?! I don't want to become a damned office boy, I want to live! See the world for myself, not stare at vacation postcards stapled in a cubicle! It's always 'do what gives you money', 'do what your father does'- What about what I want?!" His mother looked down, tears in her eyes streaming down her face. Dareth kicked the chair, having it slide and slam against a wall. His father breathed heavily, glaring back.

"Young man, pick up that damn chair right now."  
"Or what-" Dareth stumbled and leaned against a wall. Fear shot in his eyes as he looked at his father, who had landed a hard slap across his cheek. Tears swelled ran down his face, the sting aiding the now enormous knot-feeling in his stomach. His father swiftly waked up to him, wrapping a hand around his jaw. His father leaned in close. **  
**"Pack your things and get out of my damn house."


	4. Chapter 4 - Up and Down!

Lou stuck the key into the front door of his Father's house, jiggling it up and down to help fit it in. Opening the door and closing it behind, he took off his shoes, slipping his bag off his shoulder. Picking up the mail that had been delivered throughout the week, he filed through to see if any letters had been written back to himself personally. He let out sigh, shuffling the papers and heading to the kitchen. Taking out some twine, he tied the papers together, fitting a note on top re-addressing the set of letters to be sent to his father personally. Stepping out to put the letters in the out-box, he returned to the kitchen and looked into the fridge for a snack. That's when he heard it.

Grabbing the closest utensil, which happened to be a spatula, he slowly moved towards the noise. Peeking his head slowly into the other room, he lowered the utensil staring blankly. Dareth had sprawled himself out on the couch, one foot on the floor and a leg over the back, both arms hanging overhead, dropping down the cushioned arm, he snored lightly- which sounded more like a distant squeak. He looked tired, restless. Had he been crying? Lou walked over, and opened the curtains to a window, letting the sun land its beams directly on Dareths face. He grunted, slowly covering it with an arm.  
"Mmnn… Five more minutes…" He rolled over and off the couch hitting the ground with a thud in an attempt to avoid the light. "Okay okay, I'm up, I'm up.." He slowly got up, stretching and readjusting a gold pendant that dangled on his chest.  
"How in the world did you get in here? The door was locked!" Lou had many more questions than that, but the conversation had to start somewhere.  
"Ever lock your windows?" Dareth chuckled, "Nah, I'm kidding. I didn't want to get my jacket all dirty from opening them. The back door was unlocked." He smiled calmly. Lou sighed, looking done with life. Of course, who ever locks the back door?  
"Okay… so, what are you doing here uninvited- not to mention still wearing shoes?" He folded his arms, tapping the spatula against his shoulder.  
"Well, we're friends, right?" Dareth disguised a guilty smile by dramatically shrugging, pulling off his boots. "Besides, I'm doing you a favor for pete's sake! Say what would happen if someone broke in? I'd be here to stop any sort of theft in a heartbeat." The tone started to really annoy Lou, as he twitched an eyebrow.  
"Might as well put your shoes back on. My father's house isn't a place for you to 'crash' in, Dareth, and just because we're friends doesn't mean you can get away with stuff you couldn't before. Rules apply to all guests, whether they're friends or family. Besides, if you really need to sleep then you should probably do it in your own bed, not my dad's couch."  
"No can do sir, I don't have my own bed anymore." Dareth flopped back down on the couch, slumping down. "Unless you want me to sleep outside in a tree, I can do that." He smiled, but the chuckle that followed was dry.

Lou took a seat next to him, looking concerned. Dareth continued to stare out for a minute, maybe two, before starting. "My parents found out I was helping the Royal Blacksmiths; they saw the letter you wrote -sorry if it seemed I was ignoring you-" He took a breath and sighed, "and I was kicked out. I've been here for a few days now- sorry about that too." He scratched the side of his face, using the other hand to pull at the pendant, rolling it around his palm. Another moment of silence filled with a gentle jingle of the chain. "But hey, I got my Dad's bike out of it so that's cool. I gotta get out of the city before he goes after me for it… " He half smiled at Lou before looking outward again. Another moment of silence. Lou didn't know what to think, the concept of kicking someone out of a family seemed alien and unjust, especially over something that seemed so miniscule. He knit his eyebrows in concern, watching Dareth. He seemed to be handling it well… a little too well. Dareth slapped his hands on his knees and shot up. "Welp! That's enough of that! What's for lunch, Lou?" He swung his arms playfully, clapping his hands together. "Are you gonna teach me how to dance today?"

The two boys hand a few sandwiches for lunch, standing on the back patio and watching the birds gather sticks and seeds. Heading back inside, Lou proceeded to move the living room table to the wall, making a wider area to walk around in. He went over to the closet and wheeled out an old record player with a few encased records stacked on top. Dareths eyes widened and seemed to sparkle.

"So, you want to know how to dance, huh? It's harder than it looks, but let me see what you can do first." Lou filed through the records, trying to decide which one to start. They were all classical or rag, simple slower songs or fast bops. He needed something in between but he couldn't decide.  
"Can I go grab- hold on, I have a few records of my own-!" Dareth bounded out the door. Lou didn't seem to notice. He set one on the player, and switched on the machine, putting the needle down. The tune started to play, and he looked up to see no one standing there.  
"Dareth?"  
"Hold on hold on- I got it-!" He stumbled into the room, nearly dropping the record. He looked confused at the song, and shook his head. "Aw come on, Lou, cut this old school junk out. This is the new age, turn of the century-" He took the needle off the disk and put his own on top.  
"HEY! Careful you can't do that with records like that!-" Lou quickly took the two disks off, setting Dareth's back on the spoke, "Haven't you ever used one of these before?" He stared, looking insulted.

"I mean.. My dad had one but we never used it…" He rubbed the side of his neck, "That was in the old house though. He kept his records which are mine now, haha!" There was a hint of guilt in his laugh. He had taken quite a few things of his parents, the necklace from his mother and the rest from his dad. He even managed to take his fish with too, having the tank reside safely in the motorcycle's saddlebag. "Well, what are we waiting for? Let's get this record spinning." Lou nodded and put the needle on the vinyl while Dareth took to the center of the room.

The first thing he noticed was the coordination. It seemed rash with no real pattern. The footing too was without proper instruction or movement. He couldn't help but chuckle, seeing this all reminded him of the time he tried to teach his little brother how to dance. Lou lifted the needle off, watching Dareth continue before realizing the music had stopped. "I've seen enough. Your coordination is off and you're too harsh. Dancing is a flow, not a battle."  
"Huh?" Dareth blinked. "That's not what the music teach' told me. She said that dancing is about asserting powerful moving actions. I think I did a pretty good job of that."  
"You looked like you were drunk on something, the movement was too rash, I thought you were going to break something, and you had no real pattern to follow, creating an eyesore." Lou stated flatly. "You are atrocious, Dareth, but that's okay. I'll teach you how to dance. Your teacher doesn't know a thing about dancing, so don't listen to what she says about it." He rested a hand on Dareth's shoulder, who was looking discouraged. "From now on, you're taking lessons from the best." That made him smile again. "Now! Let's hear those vocals, shal we?" Lou walked over to the piano, testing the keys and striking a chord.  
"Ahh, I dunno about this one Lou, I think I might spare you your ears." Dareth stuck his hands in his back pockets, still feeling bad but trying not to show it. "Besides, Mom always told me I'm a lot better talker than tuner. I might break all the windows in your house and-"  
"Your mom isn't here anymore. Besides, you wanted to do this, right?" Dareth shrugged in response, humming to warm himself up. There was a bit of dread in Lou; Dareth's voice always sounded so lazy. He wasn't sure if it was an acquired accent or if that was just how his chords were, but he saw potential. Getting the okay, Lou started playing a familiar song on the piano. Dareth took a breath and started. Before long, the two were really jamming. His singing wasn't jaw-dropping, but it wasn't hideous- actually, it was quite pleasant. " ~And do you believe in rock and roll? Can music, save your mortal soul and, can you teach me how to dance real slow?~" Dareth hadn't noticed that he was beginning to dance again, wandering around the piano and singing- he couldn't help but smile. Lou smiled back, striking the keys. They were having such a fun time, they didn't even notice the gentle ring of the grandfather clock.

Through the window, the sun slowly dipped into the horizon.


	5. Chapter 5 - Open Water!

Lou awoke abruptly to the sound of a sputtering engine. Shooting up from his bed, he pressed his face against the window. Dareth kicked off, rolling the bike before applying the gas, he sped out of the driveway and down the street. Lou rubbed his eyes, slowly remembering what happened last night. They had continued to talk and sing, he vaguely remembered Dareth telling him that he had to go somewhere and would be back for the concert the following week. Flopping back on the bed, he sighed curling up in his covers again. It was only 6AM, he didn't feel ready to wake up yet.

The sun beat-down on his leather coat, the rumbling bike pushing gravel around on the road kicking up dust into the wind behind. He had been driving for 3 hours now, and his arms were starting to go numb from them shaking so much against the handles. Dareth wasn't concerned with that. Staring off into the distant road, his mind wandered elsewhere…  
'Did I do the right thing?' he questioned himself. The past few days were much more of an emotional ride than he anticipated. Running, arguing, taking from his parents, crying, sucking it all in the appear fine- he took the opportunity to reflect. Part of him wanted to go back, to apologize and promise to never do such a thing ever again, but he knew that wouldn't help him in the long run. Being away and on his own, an overhanging dread of becoming a businessman like his father fizzled away. For once, he felt in control of his own life, and he was happy about it… Dareth chuckled under the helmet. 'Yeah, this is the right thing.'

He had veered off the main road and down a rockier one. The sand had slowly changed to plains and rocks. The sun was quarter of the way down in the air, marking sometime around four. He was starting to feel hungry, so he pulled off the the side and had a snack, looking at his fish. The two playfully chased each other in the tank. "Don't worry fellas, we're almost there. Just another day." He sprinkled some fish-flakes in the tank, and slowly closed it again. Hopping back on the bike, he tuned on the radio and puttered down the road.

'-n the radio tonight, thanks for tuning in, this is your host, Jason Thatch, coming at you live from Ninjago City. Today's question is, Who is the actress that plays Dolly Jingles in 'Dimes from Dolly J'? Be the first to call in five, this is Tom Petty: Last dance with Mary Jane!'

"Dolly J- I only know the dog's name, 'Koju'." Dareth remarked to himself listening to the music play. "… oh narts! I forgot to watch the latest episode!" He realized suddenly. Lou's father's house didn't have a TV, and a new episode came out every Saturday afternoon. He missed that, getting done with homework at the living room table and popping on the television to watch last weeks re-run and then the new episode. Gosh how he wished he could be on set; the show was filmed in a very fancy mansion instead of in a studio so all the cast lived there as well. "…Libby? Was it Libby..?" Dareth proceeded to keep trying to rack his brain a bit.  
'First caller! What is your answer?' 'Hey. Uhh, is it Libber Gordon?' 'Correct! Libber Gordon is the correct answer! A dashing, dazzling actress isn't she? Makes me wonder how many pinups you have to answer that quickly!' The guy on the line laughed. 'Since you answered the question correctly, what song do you want us to play next?'

–

Dareth kicked the stand down on the bike, pulling his helmet off and letting it hang on the handlebar. The night sky peppered with stars, more stars than he had ever seen in the city. He flopped down on the grass against a hill, gazing outward at the white dust that covered the sky. Dareth felt his eyes getting heavier, he had been riding for a solid twelve hours- it would take another eight to get to the shoreline by Stiix. before long, he was fast asleep…

The tires had rolled to a stop once more, Dareth had parked his bike against the cliffside. Opening up the saddlebag, he pulled the fishtank out and carried it across the beach, the waves gently rolling across his boots. Sitting down on the sand, he planted the tank beside himself pulling the top off. Rolling up his sleeve, he gently put his fingers into the tank, letting the two fish lightly glide across them. He rubbed the underside of one, petting the top of the other, chuckling to himself. "Well guys, its been a good run but it's time you guys go back to where you came from." It was hard for him, these fish had been around for many years- as long as he could remember. They were from the old house, when his family lived in Stiix, his father had collected them from fishing and were going to turn them into chunk- but his mother had thought they would be better as a pet. Dareth had talked to them a lot, but not in any universal spoken language. With clicks, he could grab their attention, and with a growl, he could make them swim around playfully. He wasn't sure where he picked it up, but he never put too much thought into it.  
Taking off his boots and socks, rolling up his pants, he stepped into the water with the tank, slowly submerging it. The fish seemed reluctant at first, but slowly inched into the open water. Dareth watched as the two disappeared into the ocean, teary-eyed. Wiping his face, he smiled, "Make it big out there, little fellas."


	6. Chapter 6 - Show Time!

"Tickle the ivorys, Ollie!" The blacksmith plunked away at the piano, while the other three men sang along. Today's rehearsal was more peppy than usual; the quartet had gotten wind that the performance night was going to be a big one. Singers and dancers, performers alike from far and wide all across ninjago were to perform going into the night. Lou thought it would be a nice change for once, being able to mingle with other groups without the motive of competing against them. Although confident that his quartet would be more than ready for the gig, he thought it would be nice to squeeze in a little more practice than usual.  
"Who do you think will all show up?" Roger took a sip from his water, glancing at Jeremy who shrugged in response.  
"I hope the fire-eaters show up. I'll tell you what, those women can light my cigarette anytime." Ollie swooned, causing Roger to roll his eyes.  
"Fat chance, have you looked in the mirror?"  
"You're only bitter that you didn't get their number last we saw them. The blonde one invited me to go out if I'm looking for a good time." Ollie wolf-whistled, smirking.  
"Boys, get along now! We have a few more routines to run through before we finish up." Lou tapped the top of the piano starting a tempo. Snapping his finger, the others followed suit, walking and lining up with the beat in their step. With a hop and a skip, the quartet began to sing.

Jeremy had offered to make lunch which consisted of Fruit salad and deviled eggs. Sitting around the table, the group seemed to eye Lou curiously.  
"You sure everything's all arranged for us to go there?" Roger asked the elephant question.  
"Yeah, where's our manager, huh? How do we know when to show up and perform?" Ollie added. Lou creased his eyebrows in concern. Did Dareth tell him before he left? He couldn't remember. He cleared his throat.  
"Dareth is currently not here… he won't be here until the day of the concert, and I have no means of contact him about these questions…" He looked around and the sudden worried look of the rest of his group, "But-! I do know when the concert starts, which is around 6. We should be there by 5 to have enough time and get ourselves situated with when we are up." That seemed to cause a great sigh of relief. Lou had trust that Dareth got everything arranged ahead of time- he seemed well organize enough. Especially with all that had started happening in his life, he seemed to be handling it well. Lou was still suspicious about that.  
"How are the eggs?" Jeremy asked, his voice deep enough to be felt in people's chests.  
"They're good, but a little bland," Roger pointed, "Needs ketchup." This caused multiple eye rolls.

–

Showing up early didn't seem early enough. It was as though all the other groups of performers had the same idea. Thankfully the audience had yet to show up, behind stage was chaos. Groups intermingled, laughing and talking, some setting up and others lounging around. There was a ring of a microphone over the loudspeaker. 'TESTING, TESTING, ONE TWO THREE. *ahem* attention all performers! Thank you for taking time to come and perform tonight! At the front counter, there is a pile of schedules for you all to look over to refresh your performing times. There are refreshments and snacks in the back room for you all to enjoy through the night. I encourage you to stay even after your performance to catch up with fellow performers. Have a nice night!'  
Lou stepped out from behind the curtain, walking around the stage and observing the building. Outward, tables were set up with candles, booths and lattice, plants that hung from ceiling planters, the place was dim and high end. In the corner there was a bar, the tender gave him a gentle wave before going back to cleaning glasses. A few of the staff walked out and set tables, placing menus and utensils as well as number cards. 'Reservations,' Lou thought to himself, 'must be a private performance.' walking back behind stage to his quartet, he spread the news of what was waiting for them. Jeremy had gotten a schedule for them, and Lou filed through different routines in his head. It had to be something big, something they haven't done publicly before, something that wouldn't disappoint the audience….

The building was filled perfectly in front of the stage; everyone had their own place to sit and not a chair to spare. The gentle murmuring amongst the crowd barely traveled through the thick curtain backstage. Lou and his quartet whispered through their routine, watching the first group go. Then afterwards, the second. Then the third. Lou kept on glancing at the clock, waiting for more things than one. 'Dareth said he would be here, where is he?' Lou thought, glancing at the clock and then glancing at Roger's watch. Fourth group, fifth group, sixth group- he was beginning to give up hope.  
"I think my bikes' clock is slow." a familiar lazy voice came from behind Lou.  
"There you are! I thought you weren't going to make it! Where were you?" Lou whipped around to look at Dareth, only to be surprised. He expected him to be wearing the usual leather coat and jeans, but that was not the case. He was in a dark brown tailored suit, white undershirt accompanied by a black tie, dark brown pants and black dress shoes, hair being more slicked back than normal. Dareth gave him a cheerful smile.  
"Sorry, had to part ways with an old set of friends. How's the show going?"  
"The show? It's going fine. Still haven't gone up yet– the front stage area is high-end."  
"Yeah, I know. I've been here once before, worked here once but that didn't last. Just wasn't my cup of tea." Dareth watched as some women dressed in deep purple velvet walk past, winking and waving over their shoulders. Ollie gave out a wolf whistle, causing one of them to laugh. Roger cut him off, pointing at the clock.

"Show time."

The Quartet filed onto stage, adjusting the microphone. Lou looked over the crowd, his eyes almost instant going to a woman with a long braid. She seemed to notice, looking over her shoulder, she gave him a gentle wave before being addressed by another person. His heart skipped a beat– or did it stop? Lou had put his hand over his chest, while ollie gave a light chuckle. "Hey brookstone, are we singing or what?" That snapped him out of it.  
"Oh!- yes," he cleared his throat, "of course!" snapping his fingers to start the tempo, the group began. Though his words were clear and rehearsed, his mind wandered, as did his eyes. The woman across the room kept on giggling and looking back at him whenever she caught his gaze. He could feel his face heat up…

Dareth had found his way into the back room, where groups of performers mingled and laughed. He hovered around the snack bar, having quite a few morsels stuck on toothpicks. Pouring himself some punch, he found the flavor to be nothing that he had tasted before. There was a rough slap of tangy followed by fruity, leaving a bitter aftertaste that he masked by having another glass, and another.

"Good job tonight, boys." Lou patted the back of one of the quartet members, who had finished their performance and had gone back stage. Ollie quickly ran his hand over Lou's head, messing up his combed over hair before running to hide behind Roger.  
"Comb boy!" he taunted, to which Lou laughed, while brushing his hair over again. "Hey hey, What was the slip up about?" He asked quickly, dodging Rogers attempt at a headlock.  
"Slip up?"  
"Yeah Lou, you turned tomatoe on stage, almost couldn't see you against the curtains." Roger added, undoing his bow tie. Lou blinked, and suddenly remembered. He knit his eyebrows, crossing his arms and looking away.  
"None of your business. Just a very pretty woman out in the Crowd waved at me, that's all." He muttered. The three other boys smiled, exchanging glances.  
"Some ones in love~" the trio harmonized, causing Lou to growl and shove them aside.  
"Come on now, Let's just find the Manager and get out of here before you all make this night hell for me." He pushed his way into the back room, the noise of the other groups drowning out the teasing of his own. He had made his way to the back of the room, scoping around to see if he could find Dareth. As he did so, he noticed that those around were older than he was, or at least he hoped judging by the beverages. Everyone seemed to have a wine glass of some sort, and panic started to rise in his chest. Standing on a chair to get a better view, there was a thud of something hitting the table in front of him. Looking back down, he smiled. "There you are! I was starting to worry that…. Dareth?" Lou stepped down from the chair and nudged his shoulder.  
"I can't go home Lou, remember? Dad would kill me.." he groggily stated, slowly picking up his head; His face was flushed with tears streaming down. Lou's gaze hardened, as Dareth plopped his face back into his arm and let out a wail. "I just came here for a good time but now I'm frikken head hurts and crying! Nothin' goes right in my life Lou, itssupid."  
"What the hell Dareth, didn't your momma ever teach you to not drink anything at parties? Come on let's go–" He proceeded to pull Dareth out of the chair, who let out another wail of distress. Walking out the room, he passed by his quartet. Roger shook his head.  
"Sorry Lou, I can't give you a ride home, I want to stay here with the boys. Besides, your house isn't too far away from here, you can walk him." He coaxed, to which Lou looked disappointed. He knew the truth, he didn't want to deal with anyone who was drunk. Leading(dragging) Dareth out the door, the two walked down the street, Dareth occasionally mumbling something or another in a slurred fashion. Lou ignored him, he was too busy thinking about the angel who was out in the crowd… He didn't even get to say hello.


	7. Chapter 7 - Outside the Box!

"So you're not from Ninjago city?" Jeremy asked softly, his voice vibrating her very soul. The tall woman shook her head, watching him take a sip at the glass.  
"No, my family lives out by Jamanakai. It's a very peaceful town, and our visitors are scarce, but it would be an honor if you could arrange a way to perform there. Oh.." she looked down at her own glass, sliding her finger over the rim, "But.. we aren't a very rich village. I understand if you could not make it happen, I know it must be *very* expensive traveling so far.." She trailed off and smiled when Jeremy took a napkin from the middle table, laying it out flat and digging in his pocket.  
He pulled out a pen and began to write on it, "What date and what time do you wish?"  
"In a week if you could, and, around noon?" Jeremy nodded, finishing up and clicking the pen. Folding the napkin and putting both in his pocket, he stood up and pushed his chair in. She looked at him, startled. "I will make sure Lou sees this." He bowed his head, and she smiled.

"Y'think Lou hates us yet?" Ollie stared out the window of the car. "Because we keep ditching him n' stuff?" There was a break of silence filled with the sound of the rumbling car. "Welp, guess I'm talking to myself again." He sighed. **  
**The orange lights gently passed over. Driving through the city at this time of night felt almost unreal. Not another car drove on the street, nor a pedestrian walked or a stray crept; it was as if the whole town has fallen into a deep restful slumber. The clouds rolled overhead, threatening to cast rain. Jeremy lightly snored in the back seat while Roger held the wheel steady.

Lou slowly picked his head up off the pillow. Someone was cooking something, the smell of french toast and sausages caused his stomach to respond. He pulled himself from bed, stepping out and into the kitchen.  
"Goood morning, son!" Lou's father heartily stated, "Long night, huh? Didn't even get your bow undone." Raising his eyebrows, lou looked down at himself, who was still wearing the suit from last night.  
"Yeah, got home and crashed.. Didn't expect to see you today."  
"Crashed huh? You're not the only one." His father pointed a spatula towards the living room, in which Dareth was sloppily passed out on the couch. "I tried to wake him, but he's as dead as a rock." Lou sat down at the table where his father set a plate of breakfast down, joining him. "So, how have you been? I was notified that the budget issue was fixed, and I'm so proud of you, figuring it out on your own." **  
**"Well, you know the routine, go around, schedule, perform, have a good time," Lou shrugged, "How about you?" **  
**"My men and I have split off. I think I'm getting close to retirement, especially now that I'm not in debt to everyone." Lou looked surprised. "Though, the only reason why I'm home is because your mother wanted me to spend time with you." Aaand no longer surprised. The table shook a bit. Lou looked up from his plate, seeing Dareth plop himself in a seat. He looked.. Well, like a trainwreck; hair in his face, tie crooked and undershirt barely buttoned. Dareth barely opened his eyes, taking in the area around slowly, grunting and deflating a bit into the seat. Lou looked at his father, who looked curious and somewhat annoyed.  
"Ah, Dad, this is my Manager, Dareth. He's the one who fixed the back end of all of this." He suddenly regretted stating that, hearing his father let out a dry chuckle.  
"Well son, You've done goofed." He gave his son a pat on the back, obviously not believing him. Lou knit his eyebrows at this gesture and squinted at his father.  
"Hmph. Don't believe me? Dareth, give me a rehash of the performances from last month." Dareth inhaled slowly, exhaling and leaning on the table, holding his head. There was a pause, Dareth scrunching his eyebrows and staring outward, thinking. **  
**"There were… 5 performances.. All located in Ninjago City. The first one was… the 5th, then another the day after because of a reschedule. Third one was.. The 11th, which we had an influx of donations that went into literally nowhere, which was put into the bank account for the emergency reserve-" as Dareth carried on, Lou cockily watched the look on his father's face shift to one of genuine surprise.  
"Well, perhaps I thought wrong!" His father laughed, cutting Dareth's groggy ramble off.  
"Normally he looks better than this, but he had a little too much last night. I had to take him home– well, which is here, now." His father raised an eyebrow, and Lou carried on explaining the situation. Dareth just about fell asleep again, covering his ears. That wasn't something he wanted to think about, not on top of this screaming headache.

He was awoken by a rather vigorous shake from Lou. Looking up, he saw the excitement gleaming in his eyes. Looking back down, he noticed a napkin with short-fonted writing on it that stated an invitation to perform at Jamanakai of all places. Dareth rubbed his face, slowly blinking, "You want me to set this up?" Lou shook his head, smiling pleasantly. "Alright… hey wait a sec before you run off on me, you said," he let out a yawn, "you said you took me home.. Which is here.."  
"Yeah. what, did you think you'd wake up a-"  
"Where's my bike?" Lou looked confused at that statement. "Bike. Motorcycle. Loud, two wheels, has my entire life on it?" Then it hit him, it was probably still at the show building from last night.  
"How about this, you get that situated, and I'll go grab your bike." Dareth, as if on queue, tossed the keys over.  
"Sounds good, I don't want to go out today anyway." He sunk his head back into his arms, as Lou ran out the door, and slowly dozed off once more.


	8. Chapter 8 - Negotiation!

The village was remote, being located up in the mountains. It was a small settlement that not many people traveled through, but it was told to be one of the major point for a serpentine battle that happened 20 or so years ago. Not that sentient snake people exist, of course.. or so Dareth and many others believed. The drive there was simple, passing under a few scattered rain periods followed by sunshine. Dareth thought it was a nice change of pace; he was happy with Lou wanting to get out of ninjago city for once, the city has seen enough of them and expanding their horizons would be good for new opportunities. Lou, however, had a different motive.  
The mysterious woman who he had eyed multiple times was said to reside here, or so what Jeremy informed him of, and requested that the quartet perform for the town. It was an opportunity his heart would not dare pass up, even if it was costly and timely. The close to the village the group got, the more excited and worried Lou felt. Would he mess it up? Would she not be here? And most importantly, would he ever see her again after the performance? A plan slowly started forming in his head…

"Dang it's cold!" Ollie chattered through his teeth. He was the only one who didn't bring a jacket due to boasting that he could handle any temperature the world threw at him. "And we have to perform outside?! Uhhnng.." The others gave a light laugh around, strolling under the gate to the inside. Despite the size, it was quite lively; children playing, a small market exchanging food for money, people pulling carts of rice and vegetable plants, parents coddling their young away from the streets to do chores or help with some thing or another. Roger couldn't help but let out a noise and smile, the setting feeling homely to him. Lou's eyes fidgeted somewhat frantically around, looking at all the faces to try and find the one he recognized in his heart. The boys were stopped by what seemed to be someone who ran the town, or was well known.  
"Good afternoon! You must be the Royal Blacksmiths, hmm? We are so grateful to have you all here today to perform tonight!" the relatively short man chirped. Dareth stepped in front of the group.  
"Nice settlement you have here, everyone looks so busy."  
"Of course! We all have very busy laborious lives here in Jamanakai, ahm– about that offer negotiation–" Lou didn't hear the rest of it. He had stopped when he saw her again. She was helping carrying in wood from the outside, a tree in each arm. Holy heck she was strong… holy heck she was tall! Her braid playfully swished as she walked, laying the two logs down by the pile that was forming. She glanced over and noticed him staring, her face growing into a bright smile. Lou wasn't sure if he could feel his. She walked over and gave a gentle wave.  
"You came, it's good to see you again. Thank you for performing tonight, it really means a lot to me." She tucked a piece of hair behind her ear.  
"Y-yeah, uhuh." Lou choked, face burning up. She giggled in response, causing him to redden more. "I-it's nothing too fancy but its a routine the boys and I have been keeping a secret for awhile," he attempted to explain without revealing too much, but his efforts to divert her attention from him were in vain, "Y-you have very nice eyes."  
"Oh yeah? Look at yours. They're prehnite," she giggled, "Mine are just brown.. Black, almost."  
"Lou! Good news! I got the negotiation down," Dareth slung an arm around Lou, abruptly ending the moment, "Since a lot of people go to sleep around the time you wanted to initially run through, Its been bumped back to four. You have two hours until show time, shouldn't be too hard, right?" Lou glared at him while they were walking.  
"Do you mind?! Two hours?! You think I can teach a new routine in two hours?!" He hissed through clenched teeth.  
"You just said it was a kept secret like you've been practicing it for while but never performed it!" Dareth scrunched his eyebrows.  
"Well, I lied! We've only been talking about it but never practiced it! Now I have to teach myself and the other three in two hours?!" he protested, in which Dareth shook his head disapprovingly.  
"Is that so? No wonder I get so lost in them." Lou playfully stated, chuckling. She looked somewhat surprised, her face lighting up a light rosy red. The two seemed to stare at each other for what felt like forever..  
"You should've told me, Lou. Now look at what you put yourself into! I can't change this to any other time, it's set in stone, so you're gonna have to figure this out on your own or call it off." He gave Lou a hard pat on the back before walking off, leaving him with his quartet. Lou sighed harshly, scratching his elbow before regrouping.  
"Boys, we have two hours to learn a new routine to do perfectly for tonight. We'll practice on the bus, lets work it out." There was a general nod of understanding amongst them.  
"Just like finals back in MOSPA, huh?" Ollie laughed, still shivering, "Please can we hurry up? I'm freezing."

–

The show was a success, as usual. There wasn't a stage for the quartet to perform on, so they did their routine atop the first rung of the town fountain. While the crowd dispersed back to their normal routine, Lou had slipped from the scene and found himself stand next to the tall, dark brown-eyed woman. She glanced down at him and laughed, looking away and catching her breath before looking back down at him again. "I love it when you sing, ah…"  
"Lou. Lou Brookstone." He offered.  
"Yes, Lou. Oh what a handsome name for a handsome man… oh what a shame. I am guessing you're going back to Ninjago city now, huh?" She somewhat deflated, looking down. Lou reached out and placed a hand on her back.  
"Yep… would you.. Like to come back with me..?" her eyes lit up at the sudden question.  
"Is that even possible? Where will I stay- would I be able to even stay- how much do I owe-" Lou held up a gentle hand to silence her.  
"Don't worry, I have it all planned out. My manager might be a little miffed, but he can suck it up. What do you say?" He offered her his hand.

–

The ride back went smoothly. The quartet sang, laughed, followed by a few extra giggles from the front and small whine of lazy annoyance from the back.


	9. Chapter 9 - Grand Finale!

Day of the Departed, Winter festival, new years, the holidays seemed to come and go over the year. Spring was showing signs of becoming summer once more, flowers were abloom and the waves crashed their blue water across the coast of Ninjago City. People were enjoying the beach, bathing, splashing, playing, chatting, strolling and biking, it was a perfect sunny day.  
Dareth found himself face first to a type-writer, plucking away at the round lettered keys. There was a short notice income report that was due the following day, and he had no time to lollygag. But, he rationalized that getting this done first would give him the rest of the day off, which was something he was looking forward to. Luckily Lou was out at the moment, over the span of the year he had become more and more disconnected with him. There were even times where Dareth was flat-out ignored, but he had to remind himself who was the star and who was the stupid manager. The front door swung open as Lou laughed and stepped in.  
"And he thought I was a baronet singer when I was a tenor all along!" he exclaimed, to which the tall woman giggled in response. Dareth rolled his eyes and held his head in his hand, plucking with one finger. Lou always seemed to have some sort of story to say to her, some of them seemed less real than others. He walked over and set down some papers in front of Dareth, to which he deflated and looked up in response.  
"Ahem." Lou swiveled around from going back to leave. "What are these?" Dareth held up the papers.  
"Oh, you know the usual, invitations and RSVPs. Stuff that you can sort out-"  
"Do you mean, stuff that we are supposed to sort out together?" Dareth corrected, to which Lou looked over at his girlfriend and gave her the okay to wait outside. Lou pulled up a chair and sat across the table facing him. "Lets see, most of these are requests for Ninjago City, two near the center and one for the outskirts, one for– Are you even listening to me?" He threw down the papers at the table. Lou shook his head from a dazed smile, looking somewhat confused. **  
**"Oh, I'm sorry– something about Ninjago City? Not an issue right? We can do all of them I don't mind." He looked down at the papers and shuffled through them, more or less to look busy than to really be. Dareth's gaze narrowed.  
"I bet if your girlfriend didn't want to do one you wouldn't." That caught Lou off guard.  
"Excuse me?" **  
**"You heard me, Lou, I'm sick of sitting here day in and day out at this stupid hunk of junk doing everything for you. The only reason why I wanted to help you in the first place is because I wanted to sing and dance just like your guys, not stay all cooped up surrounded by paper!"  
"What? I taught you how to dance and sing-"  
"Yeah, ONE lesson. ONE. and how many have you given to the woman outside, huh? How much more time have you been spending with her that you could be spending with your group, huh?"  
"You leave her out of this!" Lou barked, glaring now.  
"This isn't about me, Lou. No, this is about you and what the hell you've been doing! It's like I don't even exist anymore, and neither does Ollie, or Jeremy, or Roger. You don't care about any of this anymore, all you care about is her and impressing her! That's why you keep doing all of this!"  
"Well if you have such a problem with it, then why won't you just leave?!" Silence. Dareth reeled, and nodded slowly.  
"Okay." There was buildup to his nodding frequency, as he stood out of the chair and pushed it in, ripping the paper from the writer and slapping it down on the table."You're welcome." Dareth stated flatly, gathering up some of his things and heading out the door with a gentle slam.


End file.
